1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to killing insects, particularly to a method and apparatus for exposing insects to an insecticide.
2. Description of the Related Art
Insects damage crops and vegetation. Grasshoppers and other insects continue to cause damage to numerous agricultural, residential and recreational properties. For example, farmers plant seeds and grow hay for food for cows, and insects, such as grasshoppers, eat the hay before it is harvested. Insecticides have been spayed or otherwise applied to crops and vegetation, but this is not always desirable due to cost or other considerations, such as environmental concerns.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,148,150 and 5,768,822, issued to Harrell and incorporated by reference, describe tractor-mounted apparatus for collecting and destroying insects from multiple rows of plants as a tractor passes along the rows. The apparatus has metal pans that collect insects and gas-fired burners for heating the pans and incinerating the insects.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,718,690, issued to Podgurney et al. and incorporated by reference, describes a bug zapper that is pulled behind a tractor for catching and electrocuting bugs. First and second grids, which are spaced apart by a small gap, extend laterally in relation to a direction of travel. Insects are caught on the grids and pass through the gap and are electrocuted as they bridge the gap.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,701, issued to Sherman and incorporated by reference, describes a tamper resistant flying insect control device, which attracts flying insects, such as houseflies, into an enclosed area that has been coated with a toxin capable of killing insects. Sherman states that a housefly produces a pheromone that attracts other houseflies and that the pheromone continues to be active after the housefly dies, thus attracting more houseflies into the device.